The invention relates to a brake for a coaster sled for a slide with a hinged control lever to press down the brake surface supported on levers onto the slide surface.
The brake, according to German DE-PS 2 404 337 (U.S. Pat. No. 3,973,785) is not sufficiently effective on a moist slide. In front of and behind the seating area, the sled has approximately square brake surfaces of about 100 mm lateral length with diagonal channels to drain the water. The slide surface does not dry off anywhere before contact with the brake so that the brake cannot operate satisfactorily under wet conditions. This becomes especially noticeable when the slide, consisting of asbestos concrete, is waxed for maintenance, and to reduce frictional resistance. A safe brake, however, is indispensable on such slides, as an obstacle may suddenly appear, or someone may, for no apparent reason, stop and is then endangered by anyone following who is using the slide.
It is, therefore the object of the invention to provide a sled brake which is effective, even if the slide surface is wet. This is achieved by making the brake surface very long in relation to the width. A strip is formed of about 20 mm width and about 700 mm length. This causes removal in the front area of the water, and in the following area of the brake surface a drying of the slide due to the frictional heat. In the remainder of the length of brake surface, amounting to about two thirds of the length, the brake is fully effective. The center of gravity of the occupied sled is approximately in the center and above this effective area.
The brake, according to the invention, is much better than the one previously known which has a roughly square brake surface, even if the slide surface is frost-covered, due to the drying and heating effect. A still better drainage of the water, and thus greater efficiency of the brake, is achieved by a longitudinal groove in the brake surface. The brake surface is manufactured of a supple elastic material with a hardness of 50 shore, such as, for example, natural rubber.
Each brake surface is attached to a supporting bracket. The latter may consist of a U-shaped profile, or the brake surface on the side facing the supporting bracket may consist of a so-called dovetail. The supporting bracket is dovetail shaped accordingly. The brake surface may also be vulcanized onto the supporting bracket. In order to keep the brake out of the lower area of the trough-shaped slide where the water is deepest, preference is given to arranging two brake surfaces along the longitudinal slides of the sled, connected to each other via cross bars. The front bar leads through a control lever extension formed as a pivotal axis. Each of the two supporting brackets may be attached to connecting rods arranged between the front and rear levers of the sled.